Why economic sanctions don’t always work

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Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his wife AsmaMiguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images

Andrew Katzen and Nicholas Queree

Last updated at 9:00PM, March 21 2013

Unless it’s clear you’re hitting the bad guys rather than the little guys, such tactics can seem undemocratic and unfair

The international community faces a real challenge in designing a suitable
response to rogue states and their rulers, from the atomic ambitions of Iran
to the brutal suppression of Syrian dissent.

Military interventions run huge risks of loss of life, money and political
capital. Economic sanctions can appear an attractive alternative; they are
quicker, cheaper and diplomatically more acceptable.

Doubts remain about how effective they are. The recent publication of e-mails
from the Assad family show they can still find ways to shop at Harrods and
download from iTunes, despite a total asset freeze against them.